Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn

I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself.

Legally, he is perfectly correct. The plant is your property, but it is
trespassing. He is within his rights to prune whetever sticks over the
preoperty line, but he may not keep the trimmings as they are your property, as
they came from your plant.

If you talk to him and tell him he can keep whatever he cuts he MAY dispose of
it in future, but he is under no oblgation to do so.

If he keeps the trimmings he commits theft unless he has your permission.

Your neighbor is a jerk. Pick up the debris and get rid of it. He/she will
never change and thinking of ways to accomplish that is a huge waste of effort.
My idiot neighbor was boasting on how his kids can walk barefoot in the grass
now. He said "...Ah put some uh that fire ant stuff down and now ma kids kin
walk round barefoot." He showed me the bag. It says, do NOT walk on lawn
after...or pets...etc.

Shook my head, walked away. Nuff said.


On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:26:46 -0500, Dawn opined:

Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn

"Dawn" wrote in
...

Sigh.



My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks like
our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the property line
and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.

(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)



I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really want
it for compost.

good deal, sounds like they don't deserve yer compostable clippings anyway.
They might have thought they were doing you a favor..........and to be
honest....................I used to do my prunings on my own shrubs and
trees and drop the branches over the fence into the pasture next to
me..........until the front neighbor's brother in law needed to move his
cattle into that pasture and Squire and I had to clean out the side of the
fence for him. We did it willingly and without being asked, and that's when
I discovered the tree man had dumped huge trunks of a Jack pine he'd topped
for me years back into the pasture over the fence too.........that's not
good neighbors and I apologized for it to Mr. Hammer. Luckily he allowed us
to just leave that debris and said he'd burn it himself when he cleaned out
the whole fence row later on in the season with his tractor and burn it.

Because we cleaned up our mess and cleared it out, there was no hard
feelings, but if we'd just ignored our mess figuring it wasn't a big deal
we'd made bad feelings from a close neighbor. I now burn my debris since I
don't have a chipper............and am actually thinking of dumping the
debris over the BACK of my fence into the pasture behind me that will NEVER
be developed g (I will ask the neighbor who owns that property if he
minds, but it's so overgrown with dogwoods, blackberry canes, poison ivy,
small pin oaks, and lots and lots of cedar trees it would take a bulldozer
to clear it out. The blackberry canes alone will rip the flesh from your
bones they're so huge and thick!)



"Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever part
of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do that he
can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal with this
sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?"



You approach him this way........(I'm serious here, I'm a nice person and
confront people on a daily basis) with a friendly smile on your face and a
sincere tone in your voice " I see our old lilac was becoming a nuisance to
you on the property line and you had to prune it back a ways. Could you next
time there is a problem with anything like that, just let me know so I can
do it so you won't have to? I have specific times I prune the blooming
shrubs, and you went to a lot of trouble that is a pleasure for me to do
since I'm a gardener! (BIG smile). That old lilac needed thinning out
anyway, but I love to do those things for myself. At least now the blossoms
will be larger! I appreciate your troubles and efforts, but let me know so I
can get out there and assist if you need it or just do it myself, ok?"



"FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high."



Dawn



take cuttings now while there is green growth. New wood dipped in rooting
powder, shoved into soil less mix, kept damp and warm until late May, then
plant the little whips into larger pots and allow to grow in those until
fall and plant within a closer boundary of your house away from the property
line. The thirty year old lilac would resist being dug up or I'd say dig it
up and move it closer in your yard...............

FWIW, pruning the old lilac will make the flowers that were growing last
season larger..........It's always a good idea to cut out a third of an
older lilac. Remove the larger branches, from inside the bush....... leaving
2/3rds of it. Next year, another third of the largest branches. That way
you don't sacrifice the blooms but encourage newer growth.

madgardener up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

I would check and see if he actually was legally able to throw the
limbs back over your fnece on your side. I would think it varies in
regards to what can or can't be done with such materials if they
choose to do the pruning on their side. In my area it wold be
considered illegal dumping, as the person took it on his own to prune,
so he is required to dispose of it as well. I used to run intoi things
like this when I did arborist work and I always hated to work on trees
that extended over a property line. Usually a person is legally
allowed to do what he / she wants to overhanging brush and limbs etc
that are over their property line, but only up to the extent that
they do not kill the tree or plant, but then again that can vary as
well. To me you seem to have a butthole of a neighbor, and unless you
or they move or can bury the hatchet are always going to have a
problem in regards to one thing or another. Some folks are just plain
buttholes and will never change. I get the idea your neighbor is like
this, but then again only one side of a story and history of neighbor
relationships has been heard.


Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

this is true where my mother lives. we trimmed back the brush so people could park
their cars and dropped the stuff over the fence into the wild area of the neighbor
from hells property. because the area is so tangled and wild she cannot actually see
this area of her property unless she is standing on my mothers private drive. but
she promptly called the police who informed us we had to remove it. our guests were
entertained no ends by the arrival of the police and being witness to yet another
chapter in the "lot wars". Ingrid

(Roy) wrote:
In my area it wold be
considered illegal dumping, as the person took it on his own to prune,
so he is required to dispose of it as well.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Forgive my butting in. But, before we start deciding that the neighbor is a
jerk (based on such little info) You must first attempt some form of good
communication. (Talk to them!) Perhaps they simply thought they were doing
the right thing. (No, it's not what I, or most of us, would do.) But give it
a chance. Lack of communication is one huge reason why we have "undesirable"
neighbors in the first place.
Sorry for the rant.
Cindy
"escapee" wrote in message
...
Your neighbor is a jerk. Pick up the debris and get rid of it. He/she
will
never change and thinking of ways to accomplish that is a huge waste of
effort.
My idiot neighbor was boasting on how his kids can walk barefoot in the
grass
now. He said "...Ah put some uh that fire ant stuff down and now ma kids
kin
walk round barefoot." He showed me the bag. It says, do NOT walk on lawn
after...or pets...etc.

Shook my head, walked away. Nuff said.


On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:26:46 -0500, Dawn opined:

Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn

On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:26:46 -0500, Dawn
wrote:

Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn



I cut back a hedge (that was getting over 14' tall) on the property
line and went onto the neighbor's property to trim that side too. I
asked the neighbor first before starting on that side. I raked up all
the clippings. Your neighbor probably has the right to trim anything
that overhangs onto his property without your consent, although local
laws can differ. It was a little crude to leave a mess on someone
else's property. Personally, I would just clean up whatever debris is
on my property and avoid saying anything at all to a neighbor. Hard
to believe you let the debris lay there for months, I'd have it picked
up within a day or two (but then again I only have a half acre of
land). You are fortunate to have a large lilac hedge!

Your neighbor probably has the right to trim anything
that overhangs onto his property without your consent, although local
laws can differ. It was a little crude to leave a mess on someone
else's property.

I agree.

Personally, I would just clean up whatever debris is
on my property and avoid saying anything at all to a neighbor. Hard
to believe you let the debris lay there for months,

It happened sometime during the winter, and I wasn't out in the yard for
several months. It's not on the side of the yard we use to access the
back half of the property.


You are fortunate to have a large lilac hedge!

I love my lilacs, and that they are established and have such wonderful
blooms. Our back deck is surrounded by very large lilacs, too, and for a
few weeks in spring it is temperate and sunny and the fragrance is
heavely and we spend nearly every evening on the deck.


Well, I went out today and cut a lot of suckers and dead wood out of the
offending plants (looks like at least two were planted within about 3
feet of each other), including everything that was growing through the
fence.

Tonight I'm going to go over and ask if the offer to use their wood
chipper is still open. And I'll mention that if the lilac bothers them
again, to let me know and I'll take care of it.



Dawn

It is highly unlikely a neighbor would hack a shrub and toss the trimmings
wherever he wanted if he was a nice man/woman. I don't waste my time with such
"communication" any more. It never works.


On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 13:33:54 -0400, "CindyC" opined:

Forgive my butting in. But, before we start deciding that the neighbor is a
jerk (based on such little info) You must first attempt some form of good
communication. (Talk to them!) Perhaps they simply thought they were doing
the right thing. (No, it's not what I, or most of us, would do.) But give it
a chance. Lack of communication is one huge reason why we have "undesirable"
neighbors in the first place.
Sorry for the rant.
Cindy
"escapee" wrote in message
.. .
Your neighbor is a jerk. Pick up the debris and get rid of it. He/she
will
never change and thinking of ways to accomplish that is a huge waste of
effort.
My idiot neighbor was boasting on how his kids can walk barefoot in the
grass
now. He said "...Ah put some uh that fire ant stuff down and now ma kids
kin
walk round barefoot." He showed me the bag. It says, do NOT walk on lawn
after...or pets...etc.

Shook my head, walked away. Nuff said.


On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:26:46 -0500, Dawn opined:

Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn

Dawn said:

our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to
do that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had
to deal with this sort of problem?

Let me present a different viewpoint, since everyone thinks your neighbor
was in the wrong... You neglected to properly prune your Lilac to the
point your neighbor had no choice but to prune it himself as it was
invading his property; furthermore, you have neglected upkeep in your yard
that you don't even know when this happened but you suspect last fall.
IMO, it is you that is clearly in the wrong and you should clean up the
mess and maintain your property in a more respectful manner.
--
Sincerely,
The Vice President

I do a lot of dispute work for this sort of thing with trees.

The neighbor generally has the right to prune the tree back to the property
line, but is generally prohibited from doing this in a way that damages your
real property (i.e. the plant).

Plants between neighbors are often treated like children in an ugly divorce.
Sad but true.

--
Mike LaMana, MS
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net




"Dawn" wrote in message
...
Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn, but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn

I think you'll find the position is that, legally what he cuts
off is yours so of course
he is an least entitled (if not obliged) to return the prunings
to you.

Now I wonder if that also applies to the dog poop on my yard?
Any attorneys here?
Gerry
www.garden-guide.net
....for responsible gardening

"Mike LaMana" fake@MikeatHeartwoodConsultingdotnet wrote in
message ...
I do a lot of dispute work for this sort of thing with trees.

The neighbor generally has the right to prune the tree back to
the property
line, but is generally prohibited from doing this in a way that
damages your
real property (i.e. the plant).

Plants between neighbors are often treated like children in an
ugly divorce.
Sad but true.

--
Mike LaMana, MS
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net




"Dawn" wrote in message
...
Sigh.

My husband and I spent today cleaning up the yard, clearing
dead growth,
mowing, prepping the vegetable garden for spring. I noticed a
lot of
branches in the yard on the side of the house with no
windows, looks
like our next door neighbor pruned the lilac bush that grows
on the
property line and dropped the branches over the fence into
our yard.
(Probably sometime last fall or early winter)

I'm tempted to drop our grass clippings in his front lawn,
but I really
want it for compost.

Anyway, I think he's perfectly within his right to whack off
whatever
part of the plant he feels is invading his yard, but if he's
going to do
that he can take care of the debris himself. Has anyone else
had to deal
with this sort of problem? How do you approach the neighbor?

FWIW, neither of us is the original homeowner, this lilac was
planted a
good 30 years ago and is about 20 feet high.



Dawn